How Much Should Christian Bale Be Paid to Play Batman Again?

Fanboys across the internet were buzzing late Tuesday in the wake of unconfirmed reports that Warner Bros. was trying to convince Christian Bale to play Batman one more time in the just-announced sequel to “Man of Steel” planned for the summer of 2015.

A representative for Bale didn’t return a request for comment. A representative for Warner Bros. didn’t return a request for comment.

The furor raises an interesting question: How much is Bale worth to the Batman and Superman franchises?

Both Robert Downey Jr. and Johnny Depp have reportedly gotten huge paydays in recent years to keep playing Iron Man and Capt. Jack Sparrow, respectively. Is Bale’s gravelly-voiced portrayal of Batman any less valuable?

“No one is worth a huge payday to play Batman. Batman sells himself,” says Matt Goldberg, Managing Editor of movie news website Collider.com. “They could put a monkey or Stephen Baldwin in a Batman costume and it would still be one of the highest grossing movies of the year.”

Warner may feel some pressure to bring Bale back to the role because the new Superman film, “Man of Steel,” didn’t perform quite as well as some analysts had expected. Sure, it has made $288 million at the domestic box office – a great number — but many had assumed a new Superman film would be a lock to make well over $300 million, especially with comic book movie guru Christopher Nolan serving as writer and producer. Warner Bros. may want to hedge their bets on Superman vs. Batman by ensuring that the Batman in that film is the one that anchored “The Dark Knight” trilogy to almost $2.5 billion in global box office.

“Bale’s portrayal of Batman is fresh in the minds of audiences, and replacing him just three years after ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ could be a tough sell,” says Ray Subers of BoxofficeMojo.com. “In the Spider-Man franchise, Tobey Maguire was replaced by Andrew Garfield a full five years after Spider-Man 3, and it was still met with some cynicism from fans.”

And Phil Contrino of Boxoffice.com adds, “Bale put such a unique stamp on that role that it’s hard to imagine someone else taking it over. It will be hard for people to completely get into the movie if he’s missing. Replacing an actor that big will be jarring.”

Subers points out that, “A big star isn’t always a requirement – Bale was far from a household name when he was cast in ‘Batman Begins’ a decade ago.”

And Goldberg adds, “Batman is bigger than Bale. He wasn’t the first Batman and he won’t be the last. In fact, he has an easy out. There’s no controversy if he doesn’t come back. The ‘Dark Knight Trilogy’ is over, and that opens the door to a new beginning.”

“You want a good actor, but the more important thing is a widely-recognized and beloved character. It’s the script and directing, not the actor,” says Goldberg. “I want someone who can play Batman without sounding like he needs a utility belt full of lozenges.”

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